Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

The coronavirus mutated to get around lockdown and quarantine, according to reports from China.

The study says that the first virus strain that emerged in December and resulted in lockdown was followed by a second strain that could disguise itself by exhibiting either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all in the early stages.

This resulted in people being released from quarantine or lockdown, only then later to exhibit the full disease and also to infect others.

Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which was at the heart of the outbreak, had locked the city down on 23rd January, confining 11 million people to their homes. It was later extended to other cities, increasing the numbers locked down to nearly 60 million people.

Respiratory specialist Zhang Zhan, together with others from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, in a paper submitted but not yet published to the SSRN website run by the Lancet said: “Some common systemic symptoms of Covid-19 such as fever, fatigue, phlegm and muscle pain were more prominent in patients admitted before January 23, but more insidious in later patients.”

In short, patients tested positive for the virus after 23rd of January had much weaker symptoms. This included a 50 percent lower fever, 70 percent lower feeling of fatigue and an 80 per cent drop in muscle pain.

Scientists add that it is likely with the virus now classified as a pandemic there will be more mutations still to come.

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